Howard University School of Law Exchange

Visiting Students

The School

The University of New Mexico School of Law, the state’s only law school, is located at the edge of a nine-hole golf course and adjacent to the state Court of Appeals Pamela B. Minzner Law Center.

Students will find a school that emphasizes a commitment to practical lawyering in a small, intimate environment. A 10:1 student/faculty ratio fosters personal and hands-on involvement both inside and outside the classroom. In addition to its flagship clinical law program, students come to the UNM School of Law to study Indian law and natural resources law, which is enhanced by the Utton Transboundary Resources Center. In addition to those areas, the faculty brings a rich diversity of interests and experiences to the school.

The City

Albuquerque is the state’s largest city, with a metropolitan population exceeding 700,000. Straddling the Rio Grande, the city stretches from high-desert plains to the Sandia Mountains, and is bordered on two sides by Isleta Pueblo and Sandia Pueblo. With a rich multi-cultural history, Albuquerque retains a strong connection to its Spanish colonial and Native American past, and is also home to a vibrant contemporary arts community.

At an altitude of 5,000 feet, the city enjoys a steady diet of sunshine and a moderate climate, and is home to the largest hot-air balloon rally in the world every October.

The State

Evidence of New Mexico’s fascinating history is found in its legal landscape. For example, there are 22 self-governing Indian tribes in New Mexico, providing students with unique learning opportunities. The state’s water law reflects its origins in Spanish law. Albuquerque is an hour’s drive south of Santa Fe, one of the oldest capital cities in the country and also an art mecca.

Whatever direction visitors strike out from Albuquerque, they will find a state unlike any other, where Spanish might still be the first language spoken, or a dramatic landscape carved by ancient volcanoes.